Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Dear cat owners ....
.... For weeks now we have had a pair of robins nesting in our ivy. They put up with my family going in and out of the garden, danced around us, flitting here and there, always busy. It's been an absolute joy.
No more. The baby robins are dead.
If you've got a cat, put it on a leash. Our bird populations are getting decimated. Keep your cat inside or don't have one at all. Otherwise you, not the cat, are responsible for our declining wildlife.
No more. The baby robins are dead.
If you've got a cat, put it on a leash. Our bird populations are getting decimated. Keep your cat inside or don't have one at all. Otherwise you, not the cat, are responsible for our declining wildlife.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Caroline on
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I have a pair of blackbirds in my garden. They have been there for years and neither of the cats ever did anything more than stare up at them wistfully.
This year is different. No more cats and the magpie came for the eggs. They've moved the nest now to the next rose bush along but the magpie comes back every morning to check out their progress. What do you sugest I do about this? Capture the magpie and keep it indoors? Shoot it? Or maybe I should get a new cat.
Life is seldom is simple as one might think.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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On average a cat kills something every ten days. (see my link) That is not 'occasional'.
Cats are pests.
I'd rather have wild mice in my house than a domesticated cat.
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The RSPB is sitting on the fence. They make it very obvious that they don't want to get involved in the argument. I'm inclined not to trust them therefore.
Robins being territorial and even killing other robins in the process is part of population control. That's nature, that's fine. Having loads of cats, introduced by humans, is not fine. As I say, there's a whole industry supporting their survival, introduced by humans; not natural population control.
The birds are getting hit on all sides. Take the cat out of the equation and that's one less problem they have to deal with.
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There's a whole industry supporting the survival of birds too...
True, it's called 'conservation'.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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The RSPB receive 24 million pounds per year, 6th in Britain. Birds are vulnerable but better looked after than political prisoners and the blind.
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Hmmm, the birds and the bees, maybe the RSPB could share a little with the BBKA. Another environmental disaster on the horizon.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Last year, two baby pigeons being raised on a fourth-floor balcony were killed by a crow. Am I responsible for that too ?
Nature is red in tooth and claw - deal with it.
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Neither of you own those birds which are wild and need to feed. The cats on the other hand are your responsibility. There is a whole economic system set up to pamper and feed your beloved animals.
If you own a cat read this;
The Feline Advisory Bureau and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, not obvious bedfellows, have united in endorsing quick-release cat collars mounted with bells as one of the best ways of reducing wildlife kill rates. In tests, cats wearing these collars killed 41% fewer birds and 34% fewer mammals than those with a plain collar. Collars with electronic sonic devices achieved even better results.
Taken from 'Is it OK ... to keep a cat?'
And remember ....'except for a species of wild cat in Scotland, cats are not native to these shores and their introduction has caused a disproportionate burden on our already pressured native wildlife. The onus on all owners is surely to reduce the negative impact of their cat's natural calling wherever possible.'
To quote John D, 'deal with it.'
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Who killed cock robin?
I said the sparrow, with my bow and arrow.
I killed cock robin.
Did you actually see a cat kill your robins ?
Nobody "owns " a cat.
If we didn't shelter and feed cats they would be out in the wild, breeding like - ummm, rabbits and feeding off- err, baby birds ?
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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I just found this interesting piece by the RSPB about whether or not cats are causing bird species to decline. Their response is that there isn't much evidence for this, as most of the species under threat aren't those that suffer from predation by cats. But they do suggest trying to reduce it as some of our more common species are under pressure. More here.
This is such an emotive thing for some people (I'd count myself among them) because watching birds nest and raise young is such an amazing thing, and that seeing any animal/bird destroy this is awful (cat, crow whatever).
Cats are an easy target, but in a way that is inevitable - they are domestic pets, we've made a decision to have them.
I've heard some people suggest that cats should wear bells to alert birds. That wouldn't solve the problem when it comes to nesting birds, but presumably reduces the number of adult birds killed. I'd be really interested in what cat owners think of that.
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We (humans) have shared our lives with cats for hundreds of years - Shakespeare's "harmless necessary cat "
The decline in some species of birds, eg sparrows , seems to have happened over the last 20 years or so and thus is unlikely to be attributable to cats.
Perhaps we should look for some other cause - I suspect, completely without justification other than the timescale, mobile phone masts. If we worry about radiation from these masts causing cancer clusters in schools hundreds of yards away, how much more likely is it that birds woud be harmed when flying within inches of these antennas, or even perching on them ?
If you've got a cellphone, cancel the contract now and enjoy the birdsong. Of course, again without any supporting evidence, the cellphone economy probably outstrips the catfood one.
For God's sake, don't give your cat a cellphone.
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